This invention relates to a vertical winder for a web such as textile material providing consistent contact pressure from a drive roll to produce a uniform center wound roll.
The prior art is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 4,139,166 which incorporates a pivoted arm for carrying drive rolls for applying fabric to a center wound roll that is typically carried by an A-frame and the like. A major problem with the winder of U.S. Pat. No. 4,139,166 stems from an inherent problem in utilizing a pivoted arm. The angle of incidence between the drive roll or rolls and the fabric of the center wound roll driven thereby varies during the build because of the range of positions assumed by the pivoted arm as the size of the center wound roll increases. While the apparatus of the prior art is simple the problems engendered by the pivoted arm made it difficult to maintain even contact pressure of the drive roll or rolls with the center wound roll so that varying tensions on the web result in variations in roll harness during the build of the center wound roll. These problems multiply during further processing sometimes resulting in damage to the cloth.
The prior art is further illustrated by U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,602,749, 4,781,335, 5,518,199, and 5,791,583. U.S. Pat. No. 4,602,749, for example, illustrates an A-frame construction wherein a drive roll assembly is counter weighted above a central axis of a center wound roll. U.S. Pat. No. 4,781,335 shows an offset driven rubber covered pulley for driving a flange of a beam for winding cable. U.S. Pat. No. 5,518,199 discloses multiple positioning for winding paper strips cut from a wide paper web upon a center wound roll. Pat. U.S. No. 5,791,583 shows a loom cloth take up including a pivoted arm with apparatus for controlling tension in the cloth during the build of the roll.
Apparatus constructed in accordance with the present invention provides compact winding of fabric as, for example, on a batcher, with consistent contact pressure from the drive roll. While the invention is described in connection with the winding of textile fabric, there are many other uses for the method and for winders constructed in accordance with the present invention as, for example, in the paper industry.